Why getting your flu shot in April 2020 will help in the fight against COVID-19

More than 13 million doses of the seasonal flu vaccine have been secured by the Australian Government for the National Immunisation Program (NIP) Schedule and the private market — double the number of vaccines secured in 2019. It expects to provide more free flu shots this year than in any previous year.

While the vaccine won't protect you against COVID-19, it will reduce your risk of influenza — which kills hundreds of people every year and leads to thousands more hospitalisations. In 2017, a particularly bad season in Australia, the flu caused more than 1,200 deaths (3.9 per 100,000 people).